Where Rivers Meet the Sea: Sunset Over the Jogang River

Where the Han, Imjin and Yeseong rivers meet and the sea begins, the Jogang River spreads out like a quiet lake. From Munsusan Fortress in Gimpo and Aegibong, visitors can take in the calm water and some of the most beautiful sunsets on Korea’s west coast.

The stillness conceals a harsh history. The area saw national crises beginning with the Mongol invasions during the Goryeo period. It later figured in the Byeonginyangyo and Sinmiyangyo, as well as the Treaty of Ganghwa during the Joseon era. It also became a battlefield during the Korean War. At the nearby Aegibong observatory, a sad legend tells of a woman who died while longing for her beloved.

The route begins in Wolgot-myeon, Tongjin-eup, the passage from Gimpo toward Ganghwa. Munsusan, at 376 meters, is the highest mountain in the Gimpo Plain area and the last peak of the Hannam Jeongmaek range before it runs into the West Sea.

Hikers start at the parking lot of the Munsusan Fortress forest recreation area, climb steep steps and then follow about four kilometers of fortress wall along the ridge. The path resembles the fortress trail on Inwangsan’s Beombawi ridge. The journey also leads toward Yeomha, the saltwater channel described as the strategic route to Hanyang.